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September 2013

September 30, 2013

ARLINGTON
– David Price finally figured out the Texas Rangers, and ended their 2013
season with a complete-game pitching performance.

Price, backed by a strong night at the plate by Evan
Longoria, carried the Rays to a 5-2 victory over the Rangers in the tiebreaking
game for the second wild card in the American League on Monday at Rangers
Ballpark.

Tampa Bay advances to the one-game wild-card round against Cleveland on Wednesday, while Texas ends its season at 91-72 and out of
the postseason for the first time in three years.

The Rangers found themselves in an early 3-0 hole, but had
pulled to within 4-2 by the sixth inning. But they didn’t have a late rally in
them.

Price worked a 1-2-3 seventh, and got out of a jam in the
eighth. Ian Kinsler had a one-out double, and Elvis Andrus tried to reach on a
bunt. But Price made a nice defensive play with a glove flip to retire Andrus,
and then retired Alex Rios on a groundout.

The Rays added a valuable insurance run in the ninth when
Sam Fuld raced home by stealing third and scoring easily on a wild pickoff
throw by Tanner Scheppers.

Price retired the Rangers in order in the ninth.

The Rangers stayed within striking distance all night,
though, and were fortunate to keep it a 4-2 game in the seventh. Jason Frasor
issued two walks in the inning as runners were at first and second with two
outs when Joakim Soria entered.

Soria got Delmon Young to fly out to shallow center field on
a diving catch by Leonys Martin. Replays showed Martin trapped the ball, but
the six-man umpiring crew ruled it a catch.

In the end, that didn’t matter.

The Rays scored three runs off rookie Martin Perez in the
first three innings. They scored once in the first on a sacrifice fly by Young,
and added two more in the third when Longoria sent a two-out, two-run homer
over the right-center field fence for a 3-0 lead.

The Rangers pulled to within 3-1 in their half of the third.
Craig Gentry led off with a single, moved to second on a grounder by Martin and
scored on a bloop single by Kinsler.

Andrus popped out, and Price picked off Kinsler for the
third out. Price also picked off Andrus in the first inning.

Price entered the game with a 1-4 record and 5.98 ERA in
eight regular-season starts against the Rangers.

The Rangers have Nelson Cruz in the lineup Monday as their designated hitter for the tiebreaker game to determine the second American League wild-card game even though he is right fielder by trade, with some experience in left field. Manager Ron Washington, though, said that the outfield (from left to right) of Craig Gentry, Leonys Martin and Alex Rios has been covering so much ground of late that he doesn't want to break that up.

Cruz is back in the Rangers lineup for their most important game tonight, as
they are set to face the Rays in a tiebreaking game for the second wild card in
the American League.

Cruz, who accepted a 50-game suspension for his use of performance-enhancing
drugs in the Biogenesis of America scandal that ended after Sunday’s game, is
batting sixth as the designated hitter.

At the time of his suspension, Cruz led the Rangers in home
runs and RBIs. He has continued working out and played in instructional-league
games at the Rangers’ facility in Arizona
to stay ready for this type of situation.

“I feel good, I feel really confident,” Cruz said. “I’ve
been out a long time preparing for this so I should be ready.

“I’m going to enjoy this moment. Happy to be back, happy to
be with my teammates. It’s a blessing to see the reception they gave me when I
came to the clubhouse.”

Cruz has a history of success against Rays starter David
Price, going 6 for 12 with two homers in the regular season and 9 for 21 with
three homers in the regular season and playoffs.

Cruz said he can’t explain his success against the Price,
other than that there are certain pitchers you fare better against.

Cruz went on to talk about having a chance to redeem himself
after being suspended for using PEDs, and also said he hopes to spread his message
to more minor leaguers throughout the game.

“Know who to trust,” Cruz said of what he’s been telling
younger players. “Hopefully I can give my message to more kids. I can help more
kids not make the same mistake that I made.”

The suspense, if there really was any, is over. Nelson Cruz will be in the Rangers' lineup for the Monday tiebreaker with Tampa Bay to determine second wild-card team in the American League.

The Rangers activated Cruz and designated outfielder Joey Butler for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot. Cruz was suspended 50 games Aug. 5 for using a performance-enhancing drug, and the suspension ended after the final out of the 6-2 victory Sunday.

Cruz will bat sixth and be the Rangers' designated hitter. A.J. Pierzynski is the catcher. One possible way the Rangers could have kept Cruz out of the lineup was if they had used Pierzynski at DH and Geovany Soto at catcher after going 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs on Sunday.

Cruz, though, has terrific numbers in his career against Rays starter David Price. Cruz is 6 for 12 with two homers in the regular season and 9 for 21 with three homers in the regular season and playoffs.

September 29, 2013

Nelson Cruz’s 50-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs has come to an end, and he will be on the Texas Rangers’ active roster tonight for their tie-breaking game against Tampa Bay to determine the second American League wild-card team.

But only manager Ron Washington knows for sure if the outfielder will be in the lineup as the Rangers try to push themselves into the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

The prevailing thought is that Cruz will be in the lineup as the designated hitter even though he hasn’t played a major-league game since Aug. 4, the day before he was suspended for his part in the Biogensis of America scandal.

The ban ended Sunday after a 6-2 victory that extended the Rangers’ regular season to a Game 163, and Cruz is hopeful that he will get the chance to return to a lineup that has lacked power in his absence.

“I want to play,” Cruz said. “I want to be a part of this team and win a championship. That’s what it’s all about. I’m going to be there. Whatever they need me for, I’ll be there.”

The Rangers went 29-21 without Cruz, who swatted 27 homers and drove in 76 runs before he started serving his suspension, but hit only 44 homers. He has been working out the past few weeks at the Rangers’ complex in Surprise, Ariz., and playing in advanced Instructional League games that feature some of the top prospects in the game.

He said that he has a good feel for fastballs but that the breaking pitches he was facing weren’t major-league quality. He went 9 for 27 with five doubles, one homer and nine RBIs in eight games. He started 1 for 10.

“I’ve been working every day in Arizona to make sure I’m ready for this moment,” he said.

General manager Jon Daniels said that Cruz’s at-bats steadily got better, but that his attitude and work ethic never lagged. He worked out in left field and right field, but he would seem to be a better fit at designated hitter tonight.

One way Cruz could be out of the lineup is if Washington wants Geovany Soto, who went 2 for 3 with a homer and two RBIs on Sunday, to catch rookie left-hander Martin Perez and have A.J. Pierzynski serve as the designated hitter.

“We’ll deal with that tomorrow,” Washington said.

Cruz said that he has been well-received by his teammates, who want to him back on the club and in the lineup. Cruz has said it has been a process breaking down any barriers that might have existed after the suspension, though Rangers players said from the first day of the ban that they supported him and would welcome him back.

“He served his time, he did what he’s supposed to do, and he apologized to the team. What else do you want?” Pierzynski said. “He did what he did and he served his suspension and it stinks for him, but Nelson is a great guy, been a great teammate all year through all this, and he’s handled it the right way.”

Said shortstop Elvis Andrus: “I hope he plays tomorrow. That’s the bat we need right now, so it’d be really good if he came back.”

Adrian Beltre felt he had “one bullet left” in the sixth
inning, and used it to try and steal second. After singling with two outs,
Beltre felt getting into scoring position would give them the best chance to
score.

But he ended up tweaking his left hamstring in the process,
and didn’t even get credited with a stolen base as A.J. Pierzynski singled on
the play. Beltre, who has monitored his hamstring most of the season, brushed
off any concerns about his hamstring.

“It’s good enough,” he said. “I was going too fast, that’s
what happened. Nothing new. Same old injury.”

Said manager Ron Washington: "I don’t think that’s the first time you’ve seen Adrian gimpy."

Starter Yu Darvish also dismissed any injury concerns. Washington, pitching coach Mike Maddux, a team trainer and his
translator all visited him during the second inning, but apparently it was
unnecessary.

Josh Hamilton finished his first season with the Angels in
front of his former home crowd. And, as they’ve done all year, the Rangers fans
serenaded their former slugger with boos throughout the series and chants such
as “Baseball Town,” a reference to his comments made
during spring training.

Hamilton
flew out to center in his final at-bat in the ninth inning, and tipped his
helmet towards the crowds despite a heavy amount of boos.

“That was just to let them know no matter how bad they boo
me or bring up things from my past, I still love them,” Hamilton said. “There was nothing sarcastic
about it.”

ARLINGTON
– The season lives on for the Texas Rangers, and the Game 162 victory couldn’t
have been better scripted.

They had to come from behind for the 50th time this season.
They relied heavily on their bullpen. And a few unlikely names sparked their
offense.

Geovany Soto drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth, Craig
Gentry scored an insurance run and drove in two more and the Rangers pulled
away for a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon.

The Rangers are on a seven-game winning streak and will face
the Tampa Bay Rays in a tiebreaking game for the second wild card spot at 7:07
p.m. Monday in Arlington.
The winner advances to the one-game wild-card round against the Indians on
Wednesday night in Cleveland.

With the game tied 2-2 going to the bottom of the sixth, the
Rangers pulled ahead with a two-out rally. Adrian Beltre lined a single to
right, A.J. Pierzynski followed with a single to right and Soto delivered an
RBI double to right-center field to score Beltre.

The Rangers cushioned their lead to 4-2 in the seventh.
Gentry led off with a single to right, stole second and moved to third on a
sacrifice by Leonys Martin. He then scored on a single by Ian Kinsler.

Beltre and Soto had solo shots in the eighth to extend the
Rangers lead to 6-2. They had taken a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a two-run single
by Gentry.

The Angels tied it in the top of the sixth when Josh
Hamilton lined an RBI single to left off Neal Cotts, who entered for a
lefty-lefty matchup. The run, however, was charged to starter Yu Darvish, who
went 5 2/3 innings.

Darvish allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and
eight strikeouts over an 84-pitch outing. Cotts, Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers
and Joe Nathan closed out the game by combining for 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Texas Rangers have gotten themselves in a position they like -- if they win, the season continues.

Texas and Tampa Bay are tied for the second wild card, while Cleveland holds a one-game lead for the top spot. The Rangers control their own destiny with a win guaranteeing at least a Game 163 and possibly a wild-card berth.

Yu Darvish is on the mound for the Rangers, and he'll try to extend the season against Angels left-hander Jason Vargas. Geovany Soto is at catcher, and A.J. Pierzynski is the designated hitter.

Ron Washington said he went with Pierzynski over Jeff Baker at DH because he likes the threat of Pierzynski's bat in the lineup.

September 28, 2013

Texas is back in control of
its own destiny with Tampa
Bay losing the past two
games. The Rangers and Rays are tied for the second wild card, and the Indians are currently the No. 1 seed as they're in the middle of a game against the Twins in Minnesota.

Here are the Rangers’ playoff possibilities and what it
means. Here are the scenarios IF the Indians win today:

Tie with Rays for
second wild card with Indians as No. 1 seed: The Rangers would host the
Rays in a tiebreaking game Monday in Arlington.
The winner of that game would play at the Indians on Wednesday in the one-game
wild-card round.

Three-way tie between Rangers, Rays and Indians for wild-card berths: MLB has announced how this scenario would unfold.
There were A, B and C designations for each teams, and the Indians had the first
pick by having the highest winning percentage in games played between the three
teams followed by the Rays and Rangers.

Cleveland chose the A
designation, which means it will host Tampa Bay,
which went the B route. The winner of that game is one of the wild-card teams.
The loser would then travel to Texas
to determine the other wild-card team in a game on Tuesday.

Home-field advantage in the wild-card game would be
determined by season series. The Rangers would host a game against the Rays,
and be on the road against the Indians.

Tie with Indians for
wild-card berths: If the Rays and Indians lose Sunday, and the Rangers win,
Texas and Cleveland would be the two wild cards. The
Indians would get home-field advantage based on them winning the season series
against the Rangers, 5-1.

IF INDIANS LOSE TONIGHT

Tie with Rays for wild-card berths: If the Rangers and Rays
win Sunday, and the Indians lose, Texas
would host the wild-card game for the second consecutive season. The Rangers
won the season series against the Rays, 4-3.

Earn No. 1 seed outright: As unlikely as it seemed a week
ago, the Rangers could be the No. 1 wild card team for the second consecutive
season if they win and the Indians and Rays lose on Sunday. They would host the winner of
a Rays-Indians tiebreaking game on Wednesday. The Rays and Indians game would
be played Monday in Tampa
Bay.